Final Evaluation of the Community Health Component of the Programme for reducing Maternal and Infant Mortality (PIMI) in Guinea-Bissau.(Consultancy)

Final Evaluation of the Community Health Component of the Programme for reducing Maternal and Infant Mortality (PIMI) in Guinea-Bissau (Biombo, Cacheu, Oio, Farim and Gabu) co-funded by the European Union and UNICEF.

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Purpose of the Assignment

This evaluation will be conducted mainly for accountability and learning purposes. It is meant to provide to the stakeholders, an assessment of the relevance, performance, quality and sustainability of PIMI and learnt lessons.

OBJECTIVE

The objectives of this evaluation is to conduct a summative evaluation of the PIMI project. The specific objectives are : 

• To systematically assess the program logic, rationale and relevance;
• To describe and explain the program results including its success factors, effectiveness and efficiency;
• To assess the sustainability of the programme, including lessons learnt ;
• To make appropriate recommendations for improvements and further scale-up.

SCOPE AND FOCUS

This summative evaluation will cover the entire programme over the period 2013-2016. It should provide a comprehensive assessment of the programme implementation and will cover the five regions (Cacheu, Biombo, Oio, Farim and Gabu). The evaluation will focus on the community-based healthcare of women and children under five years, to elucidate how and the extent to which the program was useful in addressing and generated expected improvements, as per project document. The community health care includes the skills and competences of community health workers. It also concerns the practices and behaviours of women, especially pregnant women as well as those of the community health workers.

The evaluation should be guided by UNEG norms and standards and consider appropriate evaluative criteria including relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, impact and sustainability.

The evaluation will also assess the integration of gender and equity principles in accessing health services.

KEY EVALUATION QUESTIONS

Evaluation questions should be framed with the view to explain the extent to which and explore how the program logic and its implementation consistently generate the expected outcomes. The key evaluation questions will focus on the criteria highlighted above. The evaluation should also shed light on success factors and areas of improvement as well as alternatives to increase value for money in achieving an equity-based protective health system for children in Guinea Bissau.

Without being exhaustive, the following key evaluation questions should be considered in the evaluation. For each question, it will be relevant to also take into consideration issues of gender and equity:

Relevance

How well did the program respond to maternal and child's health needs in the selected regions?

To what extent are the objectives of the programme still valid?

Are the activities and outputs of the programme consistent with the overall goal and attainment of its objectives?

Effectiveness

To what extent did the program contribute to improved maternal, neonatal and child health in the selected regions?

How effective was the program in improving access to and use of quality basic health care for pregnant women and under-five children in the project intervention areas?

To what extent has the program generated behavioral and practice changes to improve child and maternal health in the selected regions?

What were the major factors influencing the achievement or on-achievement of the objectives?

What are the barriers and success factors to improve maternal, neonatal and child health in the 5 regions?

Efficiency

How well the human, material and financial resources were used to achieve the program results?

How well did the program activities costs compare to alternative interventions costs?

Impacts

What are the positive and negative changes that beneficiaries have experienced as a result of the programme?

Are there any unexpected changes that beneficiaries have experienced as a result of the programme?

What real difference has the programme made to the beneficiaries?

Sustainability

How sustainable are the results achieved by the programme?

METHODOLOGY

The consultant is expected to use a mixed method approach that encompass the following: 

1. A desktop review of existing data

A systematic review of existing data already available through the programme monitoring mechanism. 

1. Quantitative Data Analysis

The consultant will use the existing data available from the programme routine monitoring mechanism and other sources (e.g. MICS) and will develop additional methods such as small scale surveys to complement and answer key evaluation questions. A convenient sample could be used to collect information from programme beneficiaries. This sample will include beneficiaries from the five regions. 

1. Qualitative Data Analysis

The consultant will develop additional methods (e.g. focus group interviews, surveys, observations, etc.) to collect qualitative data among key informants to complement and answer key evaluation questions. The consultant can also rely on a purposeful sampling to target key informants from partnering organisations on the fields to obtain qualitative information. 

1. Data triangulation

The consultant will utilize multiple data sources to validate evaluation's key findings and increase the credibility of the reported results. Some specific health indicators could be compared to other regions that were not part of the programme to indicate PIMI contribution to infant and maternal mortality reduction. The design and methods to be used will be refined during the inception phase.

INSTITUTIONAL ARRANGEMENT

The evaluation will be led by UNICEF, who will supervise the selection and management of consultants, and exercise authority to hold the consultants to high performance. However since the programme involves various stakeholders, who are interested in the outcome of the evaluation, a UNICEF-led steering committee composed of UNICEF, the EU and the Ministry of Health will review the inception report proposed by the consultants as well as the draft evaluation report.The implementing NGOs and other stakeholders will assist the consultant in locating the key informants that he/she will identify. They will support UNICEF in organizing field visits. The implementing NGOs and stakeholders' views will be collected and taken into account for analysis and reporting of key findings.

ACTIVITIES, TASKS, DELIVERABLES AND TIMELINES

The following activities and tasks are expected to be undertaken:

 ACTIVITIES AND TASKS:

• Develop an inception report outlining an appropriate evaluation methodology and refine key evaluation questions that will provide guidance for the final report, the tools for data collection, and a draft evaluation matrix;
• Establish a work plan for the evaluation;
•  Desktop review of existing and related documents available;
• Conduct the final evaluation in collaboration with implementing organisations based in the different regions of Guinea-Bissau;
• Provide recommendations to UNICEF and implementing partners for the continuity and improvement of the programme;
• Review final draft of report in line with contributions and feedbacks provided by implementing partners and UNICEF.

 DELIVERABLES, TIMEFRAME AND PAYMENT:

 The consultant will be expected to deliver on the following:

• Inception report explaining the methods, plan of analysis, tools for data collection and evaluation matrix
• Draft evaluation report with a summary document outlining key findings, lessons learned and recommendations.
• Final evaluation report presented to UNICEF, EU and the Ministry of Health for validation. This final report should be available in English and Portuguese languages.
• PowerPoint presentation with key findings, lessons learned and recommendations.

 The work being developed under the framework of this TOR will have a maximum duration of 6 weeks. After signature of the contract, the consultant has to submit within the first week the following items:

• Inception report
• A detailed work plan and timeline of the evaluation

Date

Length/ Timeframe

Activities

Deliverables and Payment Plan

May-2017	2 days		Activity 1: Organization of field works and Data Monitoring tools Organize field works with the Team Leader Develop additional monitoring instruments to collect and store data (Bissau based)	· Additional monitoring tools are developed · Field visit and data collection plans are developed · Sampling done · 10% of payment
May- 2017		10 days	Activity 2: Data Collection and Field Visits Data collection, interviews and field visits (field work)	· Additional data are collected and field visits undertaken · 30% of payment
June 2017		6 days	Activity 3: Evaluation report Draft Data analysis and writing the first draft of the evaluation report (Bissau based)	·  Draft of final evaluation report available and submitted to UNICEF and implementing partners for feedback. · 60% of payment

QUALIFICATIONS, SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE AND ADDITIONAL COMPETENCIES

The two national consultants are recruited to assist the international consultant, who is the team leader for the evaluation work. The two national consultants should have a minimum of 5 years of experience in project monitoring and evaluation and/or project management and should fulfil the following requirements:

Education:

• Tertiary education degree in public health, community health, statistics, social science or other related disciplines;

Working experience:

• Experience in developing data collection methods and field data collection
• Understanding of evaluation processes and methodologies;
• Data analysis skills and ability to manage quantitative and qualitative data;
• Good written and verbal communication skills and relevant computer software skills;
• Interpersonal skills to work and build rapports in a multicultural working environment;

• Good communication skills to conduct evaluation activities, reporting and presentations.

 Language:

• Fluent in Portuguese and knowledge of one UN working language preferably English or French.

Competencies and skills:

• Ability to manage and conduct analyses, through compilation and presentation of data, monitoring and evaluation and progress reports;
• Undertake rigorous analyses and provide a transparent, credible and valid conclusions about the outcomes of the program;
• Good understanding of United Nations' Evaluation Group's quality evaluation standards;
• Proven ability in setting priorities and planning, coordinating and monitoring its own work plan;
• Ability to work with multidisciplinary teams and involving a high mobility on the field;
• Ability to work in an international or multicultural environment;
• Working experience in developing countries

DURATION & WORKING DAYS

This consultancy will last over 20 days (in Bissau and on the field) and should be completed by mid- June 2017. 

• Contract period: May-June 2017
• Days in Duty Station (Bissau): 8 working days
• Days Elsewhere: 12 working days

ETHICAL CONSIDERATION

Under UNICEF's supervision (committee composed of Health and Social Policy/Monitoring and Evaluation sections), the evaluation methodology that will be developed by the Consultant and must follow and integrate UNEG norms and standards, and ethical guidelines.

When programs are dealing with human participants, ethics are based on the 'no-harm' principle. The consultant must provide sufficient and accurate information to individuals and institutions who are the evaluation's data sources. It must be guaranteed that confidentiality and anonymity will be maintained at all times when handling sensitive and private information. Consent from respondents must be obtained.

Given the nature of UNICEF's interventions in providing assistance to children and mothers, the consultant must integrate a human-rights and gender equality approach. The evaluation project will guarantee individuals' human rights and equal treatment of men and women when engagement with beneficiaries, and at the time of data collection and analysis.

 The consultant should refer to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights to ensure to contradiction with its principles and articles[1]. Additionally, to ensure equal treatment and respect of female and male program participants' information and responses, the consultant will refer to the UN Women Evaluation Handbook: How to manage gender-responsive evaluation[2]

[1] Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948). http://www.un.org/en/universal-declaration-human-rights/

[2] UN Women Evaluation Handbook (2015). http://genderevaluation.unwomen.org/en/evaluation-handbook

CONDITIONS OF WORK AND REMUNERATION

• The consultancy will be on a SSA type contract at NOC level for national consultants. This consultancy will last over 20 days (remotely and on the field) and should be completed by mid- June 2017.
• As a general principle, the fees payable to a consultant shall follow the best value for money principle (achieving the desired outcome at the lowest possible fee). Therefore, the consultants are required to indicate their fees for services to be provided. In case the offered fees are higher than the remuneration scale of UN system for national consultants in Guinea Bissau, the UN scale rates will be applied.
• The consultant will work in UNICEF Guinea-Bissau office and will travel to the field (based on the work plan agreed on with the supervisor and national counterparts) using UNICEF transport in respect of the regulations of the Organization.
• The consultant will work with its own computer but will use UNICEF IT facilities to perform is work (printers, photocopiers, scanner and internet).
• The consultant will work under the Chief of Social Policy, Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation.
• Duration of the contract is 20 days with full-time engagement, five days per week. 
• Services: Office space, photocopying & printing, supplies, secretarial support.

To view our competency framework, please click here. 

Please indicate your ability, availability and daily/monthly rate (in US$) to undertake the terms of reference above (including travel and daily subsistence allowance, if applicable).  Applications submitted without a daily/monthly rate will not be considered.

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